The event will not just showcase the latest technologies, but will also put its money where its mouth is by incorporating videoconferencing technology in live on-stage events, virtually bringing realistic, life-sized remote participants to Las Vegas, and vice versa.

"Telepresence OnStage," first deployed at a telepresence conference in 2007, is poised to become the "gold standard" for global live participation in all sorts of conferences and conventions, says Mark Barounos, president of Hemisphere Expo Services, which is producing TelepresenceWorld at the NAB Show.

The show-within-a-show will be physical, with some 150 exhibitors. But in addition, everything at the physical event will be viewable online for 30 days afterward, said Barounos, who expects the virtual live component to add some 30,000 attendees.

"From a technology point of view, and an exhibition and conference management point of view, we're doing some very cool stuff," he said.

The virtual event, produced by the NAB Show and NewBay Media, features multiple vendors, scheduled chats on several video technology topics, a keynote address on 3D from ESPN's technology boss, and more.